Lady Gaga has been out of commission since a hip surgery left her in a blinged out wheelchair several months ago. The pop singer is well on her way to recovery, now, and she opted to step out for her first public appearance on Friday at the New York City Pride weekend kick-off rally, opting to say a few words, as well as sing the National Anthem for those who had shown up for the event.

Celebrities are often in a good position to fight for a charity or advocate for a cause. In Lady Gaga’s case, the singer has always been an outspoken advocate of LGBT rights. Just a few days ago, the 27-year-old tweeted about how happy she was to see the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) struck down by the federal government.

With this in mind, it’s no surprise that she would want to speak and sing to help kick-off the New York Gay Pride Parade. Wearing a rocking black dress and standing up like it wasn’t any thing, it’s difficult to believe that the singer was injured to the point of having to cancel tour dates just a few months ago. In the video, she seems strong and full of solidarity with those gathered, although she does choke up a little when addressing the crowd.

“Now I get to say I knew you when you suffered, when you felt unequal, when you felt there was nothing to look forward to. I knew you then and I knew you when, but I really know you now.”

Once she gets into singing the National Anthem, she regains her composure and manages to get through the song without forgetting the words (you’d think this would be easy, but we’ve seen flubs, before). It’s a great rendition just to hear Gaga sing the line, “Gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there” to cheers.

It’s good to see Lady Gaga out and about and up on her feet and I can’t think of a better way for her to return to the stage than to greet a slew of her Little Monsters on such an important weekend. If you don’t think the above video is awesome, there's a good chance you’re just jealous you aren’t there.

Events related to NYC Pride run through the weekend. If you are in the area or just want to learn more, you can check out information about the 2013 event, here.